What's with the moving to Florida thing??

[OldConch]

We did the opposite and moved from South Florida to Eastern Washington. Three years in we have no regrets. Love the change of seasons and have learned to embrace winter. We spend more time outdoors here than in Miami. It does help that if we're snowed in we don't have to go out if we don't want to.

Taxes are lower, auto insurance was cut in half, we pay literally 1/12 for homeowner's insurance, and heat/electric bill is about 2/3 of what it was in Miami. With the savings we can afford to travel and we do. We've been to Maui, PVR, and Vietnam to get our late-winter tropics fix.

Loved Florida. I spent 42 of my 58 years there. Diving, fishing, shrimping, sailing, and hanging out by the pool were all awesome. Unfortunately, it's become expensive and too crowded and it seems as if A/C 24/7/365 has become the new norm. I do not miss the mosquitoes, noseeums, and crawling critters.

Lost a house to Andrew, a roof to Wilma, and I noticed that our old duplex in the keys was gutted by Irma. No more hurricane season stress = priceless.

BTW, my wife's allergy and asthma symptoms have virtually disappeared. When we visit family in West Palm she has to bring her inhaler with her and needs to use it regularly.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

We did the opposite and moved from South Florida to Eastern Washington. Three years in we have no regrets. Love the change of seasons and have learned to embrace winter. We spend more time outdoors here than in Miami. It does help that if we're snowed in we don't have to go out if we don't want to.

Other than the "S" word it sounds nice. Before moving to FLA we toured all areas and decided early on that South Florida was a no go for us. Anything South of West Palm and Sarasota we completely wrote off for a variety of reasons. NE FLA ended up winning the lottery, but it was an accidental find as we never thought it would be an actual destination of ours.

 

[Retired Expat]

Family has wintered in Florida since the 1940's. We come back to New England for the summers.

Weather, taxes and general lifestyle remain the draws for us; more people who know how to live IMO.

There's just something about reading how it's 9 degrees in Boston while planning a day at the beach or dinner at an outdoor restaurant; just being able to go for a walk--in shorts--without fear of slipping on ice is huge for my mom.

Coming from the Boston area, it always takes us a few days to get over the shock of running into genuinely friendly strangers without having wonder what their game is. (That guy really is...just complementing you on your car...he's just being nice...no agenda...take your hand off your wallet...let your guard down!)

Snow Bird life and quieter areas are a big plus. For us we just can’t abide the consumerism that is Florida. Mall after Mall after strip shopping center. On the whole just way too flat besides. Although that no state tax thing is pretty nice.

We opted to go farther south by a few thousand miles where it starts to gets cold again in winter (US summer) but never snows. Mostly get by with heavy sweaters and a wind breaker. And the COL is less than Florida on the whole and there are no income taxes either.

 

[zesty]

As I age, my tolerance for cold temperatures (Northern Ohio) has diminished greatly, and I spend far more time huddled near the woodstove than I do outside. Some days, the only time I am truly comfortable is my morning shower, or in my heated waterbed at night.

I might follow what my aunt and uncle from northern Ohio do - Ohio in the summer and Florida in the winter.

Or maybe Arizona instead of Florida.

However I haven't done the calculations on how much extra this would cost me and how much longer I'd need to work.

 

[OldConch]

Other than the "S" word it sounds nice. Before moving to FLA we toured all areas and decided early on that South Florida was a no go for us. Anything South of West Palm and Sarasota we completely wrote off for a variety of reasons. NE FLA ended up winning the lottery, but it was an accidental find as we never thought it would be an actual destination of ours.

Glad you found a place that works for you. Your observation is probably accurate now. 35/40 years ago maybe not so much. Spent a month on the beach when my dad helped resettle Vietnamese refugees at Eglin AFB in 1975 and it was indeed a beautiful place.

The sprawl northward from SF and outward from Tampa and Orlando seems relentless and inevitable. Our year in Orlando circa 1972 was one of the best of my life. Now - yuck. Our son graduated from UCF a few years ago and immediately moved to Denver with no regrets. I think we were just done with Florida.

 

[Dtail]

I remember friends of my grandparents retiring and moving from Long Island to Florida (Port Richey), so I don't think this is anything new.

I believe that they were motivated by cost of living. (Conversations that I recall overhearing at family dinners.)

I visited them along with my parents when I was in college, and I recall going into a restaurant for an early dinner - and all the customers in the restaurant (except me) had white hair and glasses.

More recently I visited my son and family in Pensacola and Jacksonville. (He is now on Whidbey Island in Washington.) I liked Pensacola, but DH would never agree to move there due to the humidity - unless - the Little Princess (a/k/a DGD) moves back there.

FLA except in certain mostly Northern parts and much more inland is not really LCOL anymore.
Plus, those early bird specials for seniors are much more of a rarity these days, as there are just too many seniors.

 

[brett]

We have spent a fair amount of time in Florida. Neither of us could imagine moving there. Just not for us, regardless of the climate, the COL, or the seniors early bird specials.

 

[ckelly78z]

I might follow what my aunt and uncle from northern Ohio do - Ohio in the summer and Florida in the winter.

Or maybe Arizona instead of Florida.

However I haven't done the calculations on how much extra this would cost me and how much longer I'd need to work.

WE have a large 32' travel trailer, and a diesel Excursion to pull it, so seriously thinking of leaving after Christmas, and returning March 1st. We really liked this campground.

Parks & Recreation John Prince Park Campground

 

[FLD3C]

I'm a snowbird, but Florida has gotten to be a hassle to rent for the winter. In the Words of Yogi Berra "Nobody goes there anymore, it too crowded" - so,..... as soon as you leave the continental U.S. -- it's fairly easy... The West Indies this year.

The Philippines is nice. Like Hawaii but cheaper.

 

[Moemg]

FLA except in certain mostly Northern parts and much more inland is not really LCOL anymore.
Plus, those early bird specials for seniors are much more of a rarity these days, as there are just too many seniors.

They are alive and well in the Sarasota _Bradenton area !

 

[Moemg]

I never appreciate Florida until I visit other areas . When I first moved to Florida and went to Publix I thought I died and went to heaven . Not only do they bag your groceries but they offer to walk you to the car and load the groceries .Florida is hot and filled with older people but they are happy fun people doing happy fun things . Where else but Florida do you run into 80 year olds in tennis outfits and they look pretty good ?

 

[ER Eddie]

To respond to the quote above, I would have to at least somewhat disagree based on my own personal experience. Most of our neighbors are of a different political persuasion to my family, hard to get away from in the south, some are not. We all seem to get on OK. We do have some spirited conversations sometimes, but all in good faith.

That sounds good. I think being in the south helps with that, because people try to be nice to each other and usually avoid conflict. I was thinking of sort of the reverse situation, where I (a centrist-libertarian who leans conservative) moved to a place like San Francisco or Portland. A culture like that would drive me nuts. Of course, there are other things (e.g., cost of living) that would keep me away from those places as well...

 

[Katiek]

I really don't like the heat, so I can't imagine moving to Florida at this point, but I can understand why a lot of people might like it. Walking on snow and ice can be dangerous, especially to older people, and so can shoveling snow. Plus the lower taxes can make a difference to a lot of budgets.



Plus Florida has a number of airports with direct flights to a lot of locations. People from the East Coast can travel back and forth to Florida with relatively short flights. And it has a number of facilities or apartments designed for older people, with appropriate living assistance.

 

[Dawg52]

I never appreciate Florida until I visit other areas . When I first moved to Florida and went to Publix I thought I died and went to heaven . Not only do they bag your groceries but they offer to walk you to the car and load the groceries .

I experience the same thing when in Orange Beach, AL. The employees at Publix treat you so well it's like night and day to the clerks in stores in my hometown. You wouldn't think there would be such a difference. Ha.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

I experience the same thing when in Orange Beach, AL. The employees at Publix treat you so well it's like night and day to the clerks in stores in my hometown. You wouldn't think there would be such a difference. Ha.

We shop mostly at Aldi, while they are very polite, and nice they do not Bag, Pack & Tote. We still prefer shopping there and Trader Joes.

Publix and the Winn here are similar to what is mentioned above, we put it down to Southern Hospitality and their particular mantra. The day I need to have someone Tote my groceries to the car is the day, I let someone else do the whole shop.

 

[Cut-Throat]

We shop mostly at Aldi, while they are very polite, and nice they do not Bag, Pack & Tote. We still prefer shopping there and Trader Joes.

Publix and the Winn here are similar to what is mentioned above, we put it down to Southern Hospitality and their particular mantra. The day I need to have someone Tote my groceries to the car is the day, I let someone else do the whole shop.

It has very little to do with Southern Hospitality. It is that Publix does not treat their employees like Sh*t. They've never had a single layoff in 86 years and it is employee owned. These things are not accidents. It's a business strategy. --- https://clark.com/shopping-retail/surprises-you-probably-didnt-know-about-publix/

 

[Moemg]

I do dislike the Florida traffic but I know all the back roads so I can avoid a lot of it .

 

[ShokWaveRider]

I do dislike the Florida traffic but I know all the back roads so I can avoid a lot of it .

Specifically most of the West Coast from Tampa South has diabolical traffic, I used to travel there for business meetings. Where we are there is only normal traffic except for Friday Afternoons or Holidays, and that is pretty much the same in most places that anyone want to go to for a Holiday or the W/E. I can say that traffic has never been a complaint of ours in 15 years of living here, until one gets south of Palm beach or west to about 15 m east of Orlando on I4. JAX can be tedious on I95 and I295 during rush hours, but only for working stiffs.

 

[Dawg52]

It has very little to do with Southern Hospitality. It is that Publix does not treat their employees like Sh*t. They've never had a single layoff in 86 years and it is employee owned. These things are not accidents. It's a business strategy. --- https://clark.com/shopping-retail/surprises-you-probably-didnt-know-about-publix/

Interesting article. Employee owned and incentives makes the difference. The company I worked for was employee owned. Even though I eventually got tired of my job(accountant).....I stayed focused and contributed as much as I could to improving the bottom line which in turn equaled a better annual bonus.

The first time Publix offered to take my bags to the car I thought they must think I'm old as hell. I always decline as I want to at least pretend I'm young.

 

[RAE]

Before moving to FLA we toured all areas and decided early on that South Florida was a no go for us. Anything South of West Palm and Sarasota we completely wrote off for a variety of reasons. NE FLA ended up winning the lottery, but it was an accidental find as we never thought it would be an actual destination of ours.

Yep, we went through a similar process when deciding where to spend our winters in Florida. Anything south of about Tampa was a "no-go" for us......just too crowded. We ended up on the Gulf Coast, further north (Citrus County). I expect that within 7-10 years, it is going to be too crowded where we are also, but we'll see how it goes. If/when we decide it has changed too much, we can sell and go elsewhere.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

Yep, we went through a similar process when deciding where to spend our winters in Florida. Anything south of about Tampa was a "no-go" for us......just too crowded. We ended up on the Gulf Coast, further north (Citrus County). I expect that within 7-10 years, it is going to be too crowded where we are also, but we'll see how it goes. If/when we decide it has changed too much, we can sell and go elsewhere.

Yes, that is basically how we feel. A new requirement is being in an "X" flood zone (We are currently "X" Shaded") so as to avoid potential evacuations. Although we did not evacuate the last couple of times.

 

[Kim451]

This thread IS enlightening! I don't like cold, icy weather, snow or endless gray, cloudy days; NM desert looks nice but not sure what I'd do out there; FL is one of my top choices for possible future retirement homes because I like to scuba dive and sail. And it doesn't have state tax. So, process of elimination....

As for increased crowds and traffic - that seems to be a problem everywhere.

 

[RAE]

The sprawl northward from SF and outward from Tampa and Orlando seems relentless and inevitable.

Very true. Here is an article I just saw today about Florida's population growth over the next few years. The state is gaining over 900 new residents daily........

Estimates: Florida growing to 22 million residents by 2022 - Story | WOFL

 

[albireo13]

We decided to stay in New Hampshire.
Just invested in an awesome house that we should be able to grow old in.
No sales or income tax.

Sure, cold in winter but, we can live year round without A/C if we wanted to. 7 mi. from the ocean. Lots of good outdoors activities ... hiking in the Whites, the shore, run up to Maine, take the train to Boston, 2hrs to Vermont.
No hurricanes, rarely an earthquake.

We love the change in seasons. If we want to scuba dive we can plan a trip.

 

[mystang52]

Isn’t that a generational and regional thing - like George’s parents on Seinfeld?

We saw Jerry Seinfeld's stand-up show, before his TV series. I still remember the segment he did about Florida, and noted that new retirees move to Florida because "it's the law." He also said the logo for Florida should be a steering wheel with the back of 2 hands on it, since you can't see an actual driver behind the wheel. The Del Boca Vista episodes were no doubt an extension of this part of his monologue.